For years, the UFC was something of a one-note presence in Europe. They went to the UK, and that's it. Then they started throwing in the occasional event in Germany and Sweden and Ireland. Finally, in 2015, the UFC held their first ever event in Poland, a burgeoning MMA market that seems ripe with fighters and fight fans.
So, with 2016 officially underway, it's time to test a couple new European markets for the world's largest MMA promotion. This year, Zuffa has announced plans to have their first ever shows in Croatia and the Netherlands. The Sun first broke the news, reporting a planned April 10th event in Zagreb Arena, in Croatia, and a May 8th event at the Ahoy Rotterdam arena in the Netherlands. Rare for the UFC, both events will take place on a Sunday.
Tickets will go on sale February 12th for the Croatia event and March 24th for the Netherlands event. No bouts have been announced for either card yet, although both Stefan Struve and Stipe Miocic have said that they would like to compete in front of their Dutch and Croatian fans, respectively.
It's a little surprising that it took the UFC this long to get to the Netherlands for an event, as the Dutch MMA scene is one of the points at the very roots of MMA history. It will be interesting to see what kind of crowd they draw for their first event in a nation that has been producing pro-MMA fighters for as long as MMA has been a thing.